Joker Reading Order

This reading order is designed to give an outline of major storylines featuring Joker throughout DC Comics. It may not encompass every one of his appearances, but is an outline of the major ones and the stories that affect them.

The continuity details relating to each specific storyline are explained in the “Review” of each storyline. Every “Review” link will provide a detailed continuity breakdown of that story and will explain any reference the story makes to other aspects of the DC Universe. All of this can be found under the “Continuity” section of each link.

Jump to: New 52 – Rebirth

New 52

At the beginning of the New 52, the DC Universe was reset. In this new continuity, most characters had either large chunks or the entirety of their history wiped. For the Joker, it is unclear exactly how much history was erased. However, over the course of this era, it becomes clear that at least some of his encounters with Batman and the Bat-family remain, such as the fight with Batman from Batman: The Man Who Laughs, the killing of Jason Todd (Reading Order) from Batman: A Death in the Family, and the paralysis of Barbara Gordon (Reading Order) from Batman: The Killing Joke. In addition, it becomes clear that Joker still has a generally strained relationship with Harley Quinn (Reading Order).

In this era, Joker is reintroduced through a minor appearance in the Detective Comics series. This small role leads to him taking on the main role in the entire Batman: Death of the Family (Reading Order) crossover event. After this, Joker disappears for a while, only appearing through a flashback series. However, he reappears for another starring role in another crossover event, the Batman: Endgame (Reading Order). All of these events and flashbacks focus on Joker’s ongoing battle with Batman, though some event crossover tie-ins also spotlight his history with various members of the Bat-family.

Notes

1. Joker's appearance here is very minor but does have an impact on the "Death of the Family" storyline, a timeline of which can be found here. What happened here is mostly explained at the beginning of "Death of the Family", so readers can feel free to skip it if necessary.
2. These two issues detail some small events which are necessary to make elements of the "Endgame" storyline more meaningful. Unfortunately, this is all we can really say without spoiling anything.
3. These three issues are similar to the Batman Vol. 6: Graveyard Shift (Review) issues in that they detail events which have an impact on the "Endgame" storyline. They are far less necessary though and could easily be skipped if readers choose to do so.
4. These two issues explain what happened to Joker after the conclusion of the "Endgame" storyline. Unfortunately, this is all we can really say without spoiling anything.

Rebirth

Though for Joker there do not appear to be many major continuity changes between this era and the previous one, Joker's narrative in the Rebirth era is mostly standalone. His narrative generally builds on his antagonistic relationship with Batman. However, his story here does not make many direct references to the previous era. 

Joker initially appears in a flashback storyline from the Batman series. This arc details the "War of Jokes and Riddles" that occurred sometime early in Batman's career. Then, Joker plays a moderate role in the Dark Nights: Metal (Reading Order) event, which witnesses his first interaction with the Batman Who Laughs (Reading Order). Finally, the Joker has a key role in the issues leading up to Batman's wedding (Reading Order).

Notes

1. Joker's appearance in this issue is extremely brief and only serves to help set up his appearance in the following issue, Dark Days: The Casting #1.

Other Appearances

• Harley Quinn
  • Joker appears in flashbacks throughout the Harley Quinn (Reading Order) solo series. These flashbacks typically expand on his relationship with Harley, specifically the early days of their relationship. However, the Harley Quinn series is pretty loose when it comes to its own continuity so it is unclear how much of what happens here is cannon and what is not.
  • Joker appears in Harley Quinn #1 and #6, collected in Harley Quinn Vol. 1: Die Laughing (Review); Harley Quinn #8, collected in Harley Quinn Vol. 2: Joker Loves Harley (Review); Harley Quinn 25th Anniversary Special #1, collected in Harley Quinn Vol. 4: Surprise, Surprise (Review); and Harley Quinn #17-25 and Harley Loves Joker #1-2, collected in Harley Loves Joker (Review).
• Batman/The Shadow
  • Joker appears as one of several antagonists in the Batman/The Shadow crossover. However, his appearances here don't fit well into his overall progression during this era. Also, as a crossover, it is unclear if this miniseries is cannon or not.
  • Joker appears in Batman/The Shadow #2-6, collected in Batman/The Shadow (Review).

All DC Comics Reading Orders